


Hoshi no Saiten - Festival of Stars

by FlammenTaenzerinSuzaku



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Sword Art Online
Genre: Fandom typical character death, Female Sawada Tsunayoshi, Gen, Original Guild, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Separate tags for Bonus Chapter, Trans Male Character, Undecided Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-15 11:58:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10555940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlammenTaenzerinSuzaku/pseuds/FlammenTaenzerinSuzaku
Summary: All Tsuna wanted was to have fun playing SAO and make friends. But now she has to fight for her life and those around her. Aided by her guild, Hoshi no Saiten, Tsuna sets out to reach the 100th floor and return to her mother.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Online Famiglia](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6334915) by [silenceia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silenceia/pseuds/silenceia). 



 

 

_Sword Art Online_. It was a name Nana had come to hate with all her being. At first, it had been a new game, that would be able to bring a smile on her little Tsu-chan's face. A virtual world to explore without constantly tripping and the opportunity to meet people without being bullied. Oh, Nana was aware of her daughter's bullying, she knew how her sweet child had no friends. It wasn't something Tsu-chan told her or complained about, it was easy to see. The smile she gave her was too rigid, too stiff, too... practiced. Like she had spent hours in front of her mirror to make sure no one saw through her lies.

~HnS~

The first time she let Tsu-chan play any kind of video game had been years ago when an old friend of hers came to visit. Watanabe Rena had been one of her childhood friends up until the first year of high school, where she suddenly moved away to live with her grandmother. It had been years later, that she met Rena in a cafe and found out why she had moved. Because her grandmother had been the only one who supported the change of Rena becoming Renji.

After Tsu-chan's birth, Renji came to visit as often as he could. He could not become a father due to his former gender and instead dotted on Tsu-chan as if she had been his own. Sadly, since his job was in Kyoto, he could not visit often, but when he did, he brought presents for both Nana and Tsu-chan.

During one visit, when Tsuna was eight, he brought his laptop with him and showed Tsuna his favorite online game at that time. She couldn't remember what it was exactly. Elder Tales or something. First Tsu-chan had only watched him play, while she had prepared dinner, but after a few hours, he let her create a character and play for herself. After he left Tsu-chan had asked if she could have her own MMOs to play. Before that, she had barely known what that was but they gave it a try.

The computer they had in their house had been locked by a password and Tsu-chan was only allowed to play once she had shown her mother her finished homework. While it might seem like a bad idea to let her daughter play too long, Nana was just glad that her daughter had something she loved to do and still send her outside to get enough air. The children in her school either ignored her or bullied her, so she was happy Tsu-chan had some way to make friends, even if only online.

~HnS~

Tsu-chan had been ecstatic when she heard of the new game that was being beta tested, Sword Art Online. The first VRMMORPG. She had begged and pleaded to get one and promised to do her best in school and raise her grades. Nana made her a compromise: If Tsu-chan got at least 40% in each test from at least three of her classes, until the launch, she would get her the game. That Renji would get them anyway, even if she didn't get better grades, was kept a secret. If Tsu-chan did her best but wasn't able to reach the desired percentage, then she would still be allowed to play it. It was simply used as a motivator to get her to try a bit more.

During the following months, Tsu-chan threw herself into her studies. She played fewer games and would ask many questions, concerning her schoolwork, since she had problems understanding and her teachers were so fed up with her 'stupidity' that they ignored her. They were directed mostly to Renji, due to Nana's air-headedness. He really loved Tsu-chan and enjoyed helping her. 

 

~HnS~

 

The days before the launch had been hard on Tsu-chan. Nana knew there were a few tests with less then 40% and that Tsu-chan had hidden them. On October 31st Tsu-chan came to her in tears, confessing about the bad tests and how she tried her best, but she was still _dame_ and couldn't remember enough while writing them and for her to _please_ forgive her for lying and hiding. The words had struck Nana in the heart. Her sweet darling daughter thought herself _dame_ , no good? The only thing she could do was hug her sweet, innocent, little Tsu-chan and tell her she did good, she would still be allowerd to play.

 

Renji came to visit the day before the launch on November 6th and greeted Tsu-chan with the NerveGear and Sword Art Online copies he had bought for her that day. Tsu-chan kept hugging him and Nana for the rest of the day and the grin, a true, pure grin of happieness, never left her face. The whole time she asked Renji questions about his experiences and if he knew something about how it was played and how she could prepare, while also telling him what she planned on doing from what little she knew. She wanted to use a spear or battle ax, since she could be a bit more away from the enemy. Both sat in the living room and went through the blogs run by the beta testers about userful information.  At some point Nana had to put her foot down to get them to come eat dinner, not that it stopped them from talking in between eating. The chemistry between them made Nana smile bittersweetly. She loved Iemitsu and he loved both of them as well, even if he was rarely home due to his job. But she couldn't help feel that Renji was more a father to Tsu-chan than her husband. It made her feel guilty too, because a tiny part of her wished Renji was the father and husband they both longed for.

 

The morning of the launch was no different from the evening. Which skills would be better, entering a guild or not, front line or support, solo or in a party, possible secrets. It never seemed to end. More than once Nana had to remind them to eat, drink or breath once in a while. It was adorable. They calibrated the NerveGear and made all adjustments or settings they could do beforehand and waited for 13:00 JST, the time of the launch. They had lunch at 12:30 to calm them down and get some substance into Tsu-chan before she would play. She had to eat dinner with them, but could play until her bed time.  Tsu-chan hugged them tight and told them she loved them both before she went to her room to start playing.

 

None of them would know that this was the last time they saw her smile for the next two years.

 

~HnS~

 

It was one of Renji's collegues from work that informed them of the deaths of SAO players. She had gone with him to buy a game for her teenage son and had seen it on the news. Nana had raced to Tsu-chan's room to stop her if possible, but it was too late. Tsu-chan had been playing for two hours already. Renji's collegue warned them about removing the NerveGear themselves.

 

Seeing her Tsu-chan laying in bed, completely still, knowing that she might never wake up, that she could be gone any moment broke Nana's heart.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_"You have reached the answering machine of Sawada Iemitsu. Please, leave your message after the signal. I will get back to you as soon as possible."  
_

 

"Anata, Iemitsu, it's Nana, I... please, call me back... It's... it's Tsu-chan... she's... (sob)... please, call me as soon as possible, please!..."

 

~HnS~

 

_"You have reached the answering machine of Sawada Iemitsu. Please, leave your message after the signal. I will get back to you as soon as possible."_

 

"Anata, it's me again... Tsu-chan, she's... she's in the hospital right now... I... she wanted to play it so much, I can't... It's all my fault... Had I not... Please, anata, call back... Please..."

 

~HnS~

 

_"You have reached the answering machine of Sawada Iemitsu. Please, leave your message after the signal. I will get back to you as soon as possible."_

 

"Iemitsu, it's been six months now... I called your phone, your office, I even wrote a letter... it's just... please, Tsu-chan is still in the hospital... The doctors don't know what to do... She's still stuck and... her temparature spiked up to 41°C or even higher a few times... how is that possible...?... Please, call me back..."

 

~HnS~

 

_"You have reached the answering machine of Sawada Iemitsu. Please, leave your message after the signal. I will get back to you as soon as possible."_

 

"Sawada-san? My name is Watanabe Renji, I'm a friend of your wife and call in her stead. Nana-chan can't bear this anymore. The stress is too much and she is blaming herself for what happened. She is staying in Tokyo for now, Tsuna was transfered to the Yokohama General Hospital  in  Saitama. They created a special wing for SAO players.  Please call, or come visit. It would help a lot. Thank you."

 

~HnS~

 

 

 

_"You have reached the answering machine of Sawada Iemitsu. Please, leave your message after the signal. I will get back to you as soon as possible."_

 

"Itemitsu... do you even care anymore?... It's been nearly two years... No call... no letter... no visit... She's your daughter... She has to mean something to you! You always said you love her so much, why don't you show it?! I know Ren called you too, he told you which hospital! So if you feel anything for Tsuna or me, call or come here!"

 

~HnS~

 

_"The number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer in service. _The number you have dialed has been discon-"_ _

__

__~HnS~  
_ _

__

"Moshi, moshi. This is the residence of Sawada Nana and Watanabe Renji. Who would you like to speak with?"

_"Ah, Sawada-san? This is Nurse Kawamori from Yokohama General Hospital. I have good news, your daughter woke up a few minutes ago. She is being looked over by doctors right now. Please come over as soon as possible."  
_

 


	2. Chapter Two: The Princess meets an Eagle and his Wife

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to include parts that I thought were missing in some SAO stories. It was never really said if they had their weapons from the beginning or if they had to buy them from merchants. So I decided to do it in here. 
> 
> Kayaba's speech is taken from the subbed version of the anime, so it might be a bit different from what you know if there are different subs.
> 
> Any change from Tsuna to Benihime was intentional. Tsuna is who she is and Benihime is who she wants to be, srong, confident, etc. 
> 
> I hope you like Weaver and Washi, please tell me what you think of them. I had debated whether or not they had already founded Hoshi no Saiten, but I decided that yes, they did. 
> 
> While writing I always had my favorite MMO in my head (Aion, if you're wondering) and what aspects I might be able to apply to this story. 
> 
> By the way, if one of you has read the Progressive Light Novel, please contact me with a review or PM. I have a few questions concerning some quests. (Why do they have different LN series for SAO? I bought the one without the info I need and I don't want to buy that one yet. I might buy it one day, but not now.)
> 
> What would you think of small chapters concerning the Real World? I mean, like if someone in Naminori wonders where Tsuna is or something like that. There are also two KHR charas I'm thinking about putting inside, but I'm not sure yet.

**Chapter Two: The Princess meets an Eagle and his Wife**

 

"Link Start!"

 

Bright light filled her vision and streaked past her, as if she had flown through a rainbow. Several screens popped up rapidly.

_«Touch-OK»_

_«Hearing-OK»_

_«Sight-OK»_

_«Smell-OK»_

_«Taste-OK»_

It was checking if the NerveGear's VR features were loaded correctly. It confirmed that it could trick her brain and senses into believing SAO's environment was real. What she was already experiencing in the loading process, the bright light and sound of the screens, felt quite real. Argus and Kayaba Akihiko had created an amazing game and Tsuna couldn't wait to experience it's whole world.

 

The language select popped up as _«Language- Japanese»_ due to her calibrations and settings beforehand and she felt giddy. Renji-nii-san had helped her prepare as much as possible so she could start the game sooner. Another screen popped up.

 

_«Please log-in»_

 

They had also created an account during preparations. Renji-nii-san had wanted to make sure she was not tricked into anything while doing that. Tsuna had wanted to use her account name as her character name as well, so she would remember both. She had used them during her time playing Elder Tales and other games. The log-in screen floated before her along with a keyboard. They were slightly see-through and glowed with a dim white light.

 

_«Account: Benihime»_

_«Password: S3v3nL0tus»_

 

Her password was usually the same. 'Seven' stood for her mother, while the 'Lotus' stood for Renji-nii-san's nickname. The numbers were added for security. While entering her data she had seen her hands, which looked like hands that could belong to anyone. They didn't have the scrapes and bruises she always had from tripping and trying to catch herself. As soon as she pressed enter, the screen changed and the keyboard vanished.

 

_«Please select your gender >>_

_«Male» «Female»_

 

Tsuna pressed the _«Female»_ -Button and startled when a mirror appeared before her along with a screen on the right. The person in the mirror looked nothing like her, but very generic with dark hair and eyes. Like someone you would meet and quickly forget about.  The screen on the side showed a list of different categories:

_«Presets»_

_«Head»_

_«Body»_

_«Coloring»_

_«Voice»_

_«Name»_

_«Confirm»_

Each category had several sub-categories to expand the customization of the avatar. Choosing a preset Tsuna created an avatar that wouldn't have looked out of place in a Shinto temple. The crimson hair was pulled back into a loose braid that fell down to the middle of her back and her eyes had the same amber color she had in pictures as a little child. Her features were more Asian than her own and looked more mature. She was taller than her 147 cm by a few centimeters and looked to be a few years older too. No one would think of her as a little child if she looked closer to sixteen than twelve. Her lips, which were now painted a crimson similar to her hair, were stretched into a sly grin as she arranged the strands of hair that framed her face and fell lightly over her eyes.

 

Yes, this was how she wanted to look like. Confident. Capable. Strong. This was who she wanted to be. _«Benihime»_ would be different from Tsuna.

 

Still smiling she pressed the _«Confirm»_ button.

 

White filled her vision.

 

~HnS~

 

The plaza she arrived at when she opened her eyes was wide, beautiful and filled with exited players. She could smell flowers in the air and feel a light breeze on her skin. Argus and Kayaba Akihiko did great work. It was as if the was in a real place.

 

Tsuna startled when a small screen appeared before her.

 

_«Welcome to Aincrad._

_To open your main menu please place the_

_pointer and middle finger of your right hand_

_together and move them in a downward motion.»_

 

Curious Tsuna did as instructed and swung her fingers downward and smiled as the menu opened. Eyeing the categories she decided that they were easy to understand and selected her skills, which opened two empty slots. A different screen opened before her.

 

_«Please select your initial Weapon skill»_

 

Tapping the first empty slot a scrolling sub-menu opened. It listed all weapon skills available for her level and abilities. According to the blogs she had read with Renji-nii-san, some skills required certain skill levels in other skills. You had to level the One-Handed Sword skill before you could learn Two-Handed Sword.

 

While Tsuna knew she wanted to fight with a long weapon, like a spear, she was a bit torn between the Two-Handed Assault Spear and the Two-Handed Battle Ax. While the spear was quite fast, it did little damage. The battle ax, on the other hand, was strong and devastating but quite slow. So it was a question of speed or strength. A battle ax would also weigh more...A spear, Tsuna decided, a spear would be better.

 

Another screen popped up after she selected the Two-Handed Assault Spear skill.

_«Attention!_

_You will be given one starter weapon_

_after selecting your first weapon skill._

_Please be aware that this service_

_will only be available once!_

_Do you wish to proceed?»_

Tsuna confirmed her choice and startled slightly when her new weapon appeared before her. She looked it over and tested it's weight. It was quite light. Hopefully not too light. It was called _«Training Spear»_.

 

Looking around at other players, Tsuna saw many of them with harnesses on their backs and waist and tried to look over her shoulder to see if she had one as well. It seemed so. Biting her lip she swung the spear over her shoulder onto her back and heard a slight click as it slid into it's harness.

 

Taking a deep breath Tsuna closed her eyes to focus herself. She was really doing this. A giddy energy rose within her and she couldn't help but smile. Here she would be strong. Here she would be somebody. Exhaling Benihime opened her eyes and stepped forward.

 

She was ready.

 

~HnS~

 

Reading about the use of Sword Skills was different from actually using them. What counted as starting pose while fighting with a spear? It had taken Benihime a few tries to get it right and to really hit her enemies. She had also, after a bit of thinking, chosen _«Blade Throwing»_ as her second skill. This way she had something to attack with when she enemies were still far away. And she could even try to throw her spear if she was really desperate. It sounded cool even if she would loose her weapon.

 

She had already been playing for a few hours, steadily raising her experience until she was halfway to level three by the time she felt hungry. Glancing at the time Benihime saw that it was already 17:13. Renji-nii-san would want to know about the game and would then ask her to try himself while she went to sleep. Mama start preparing dinner by now and be happy that she had had fun.

 

Opening her menu Benihime scrolled to the bottom and selected the _«Settings»_ option and froze. There was a button with the typical emblem associated with _«Log out»_ , but there was no writing there and it didn't react when she still pressed it. It had been there earlier when she had explored her menu. What happened? She tried to contact a GM, but got no response. Strange.

 

With a strange feeling Benihime looked around. A few hundred meters from her were two other players fighting against monsters. Training. Keeping her spear (which she would have to replace soon, the durability was getting low) in hand, she ran over to them while also defeating monsters that were in her way.

 

“Excuse me?” She asked shyly. The players looked at her, a man and a woman.

 

The woman was a bit taller than her, with pale skin, short straight silver hair and piercing green eyes, which were unnaturally bright. She had a dagger in her hand, which she had used to defeat one of the boars around.

 

Where the woman looked a bit shady, the man was simply tall, muscular and scary. He was build as if he could lift cars, his hair was as black as his sharp eyes and reached his shoulders, while the scowl on his face made Benihime think of Hibari-senpai. A very territorial, extremely pissed off Hibari-senpai. She shuddered a bit.

 

“Yes?” The woman asked and looked at her with a light smile on the face. “Did you want something?” Her voice was light and quiet, but sounded really nice.

 

“I have problems with logging out. The button is gone and I can't get contact with a GM” Benihime explained. The man frowned his brows and Benihime felt weak again at his Hibari-like scowl. They looked at each other, seemingly communicating with each other silently, before both opened their menu and found the missing button.

 

“That never happened before” the man said in a deep rumbling voice. “I mean, there had been some bugs, but never like this. When did you find this?” He asked Benihime.

 

“Just a few minutes ago.” She answered before bowing lightly. “My name is Benihime, by the way. Nice to meet you, even if the reason is a bit strange.”

 

“You can call me Weaver” grinned the woman humorously and pocked the man's cheek. “And this great lump is Washi. Don't worry about his face, he just wanted to have this 'big scary protector' image, but inside he is a giant fluffy teddy bear.”

 

“Give me a moment.” Washi said distractedly. “I'll try to contact someone who might know more. If he doesn't know I have to ask Argo.” He gave a deep dejected sigh. “She's always so expensive.”

 

“In the meantime, it might be better if we return to the Town of Beginning. It _is_ getting a bit late, dear.” Weaver suggested and grinned at Benihime. “I'm married to this big teddy bear. He was one of the BETA tester and pre-ordered a game for me as well. It's fun, isn't it? Like being in a different world, being someone else. Refreshing.”

 

“Yes” Benihime agreed. “It's really exciting. How far are you two leveled yet?”

 

“Washi is level three and I'm just over level two.” Weaver grinned. “A dagger isn't the strongest weapon against an enemy, but the fastest. Plus, I want to try and build this character into an assassin. You know, skills that are Shinobi like. Washi on the other hand uses a mace and shield. He's going for a tank build.”

 

“B-Builds?” Benihime stuttered. She hadn't been aware there were builds in SAO. Thought if one was to think about it, it made sense. If you chose your skills with a certain picture in mind you could do that. “I haven't really thought about that. I had decided to use a p-polearm weapon before playing and Blade throwing for more distance.” Did I do something wrong how I did it?

 

“None of my friends know anything.” Washi grumbled once he returned from writing, much as if he had been on the phone. “Their freaking out to. It's not just us, no-one can log out. And logging out is the only way to leave the game.”

 

Benihime opened her mouth, her breath caught in her throat as she thought _Mama, please come to my room and take the NerveGear off_ , when a loud bell rang through the area and all three of them were surrounded by light.

 

~HnS~

 

Benihime blinked and looked around confused. She, together with Washi and Weaver, stood on the plaza she had arrived at. It was completely filled with other players in different stages of panic.

 

“What's going on?” Tsuna asked, no longer feeling strong and confident like Benihime, but scared like Dame-Tsuna. She stumbled a few steps to Weaver and grasped the edge of her sleeve, trying to feel a bit safe. Something wasn't right. What was it? There was something dangerous, she had a strange feeling. “What was that?”

 

“A forced teleportation.” Washi said, who had also stepped closer and had taken Weaver's hand protectively. “Why would they bring us all here?” The bell had stopped ringing and the only thing you could hear were the voices of the plaqyers filling the plaza. Was this some kind of announcement? Why hadn't there been a message for that?

 

“Up there!”

 

Tsuna raised her head and saw a red blinking sign with _«Warning»_ in the sky. Suddenly the whole sky was being filled with signs of _«Warning»_ and _«System Announcement»_ until it was completely red. Blood like liquid began to flow from the seams and Tsuna grasped onto Weaver's arm in her fright. She really didn't like this. The liquid collected in the air and formed into a robe. Tsuna recognized it. It was the standard robe of a GM, but there was no face and the space between the sleeves and gloves was empty, too.

 

“ _Attention, Players.”_ The figure said. _“Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko. I am currently the one and only person who can control this world. I'm sure that you've all already noticed that the logout button on the main menu has been removed. However, this is by no means a mistake. I repeat... It is no mistake, but a feature of the true Sword Art Online.”_

 

“You are all unable to logout of SAO, and nobody in the real world can remove the NerveGear or interrupt its operation.” Kayaba explained. “Should that be attempted, a powerful burst of microwave radiation emitted from a transmitter in the NerveGear will destroy your brain, thus ending your life.”

 

“N-no...” Tsuna muttered. “nononono... this can't be... He must be joking...”

 

“Washi” Weaver hissed to her husband. “Can that actually happen? It can't, right? This must be some sort of... some sort of event...”

 

“It might be possible” Washi muttered, looking shocked. It clashed with the image he had chosen for his avatar. “The signals of the nerve gear are similar to microwaves. But there is a safety build in. So it's impossible, unless... unless the safety was removed.”

 

“ _Unfortunately,”_ Kayaba continued. _“it's certainly possible that a player's family or friends would ignore this warning and attempt to forcibly remove the NerveGear. As proof of this, 213 players have retired from both this world and the real one.”_ Screens with news reports open around him and all players watch with horror, as pictures of deciesed and mourning family members are shown.

 

“ _As you can see, news of my warning and the numerous victims are being spread worldwide. Thus, it should be safe to say that the danger of removal attempts has become minimal.”_ Kayaba clarified, as if it would give them any comfort. _“I hope you will be at ease and focus on completing the game. But I'd like you all to keep this in mind. From this point on, all methods of revival in the game will no longer function.”_

 

Washi paled beside Weaver and Tsuna and cursed. Tsuna understood why. If you can't be revived and lost all your HP...

 

“ _If your HP hits zero, your avatar will perish for eternity,”_ Kayaba said ominously. _“and at that moment... the NerveGear will destroy your brain.”_

 

Tsuna felt cold all over. There was a chance she would never see her mother or Renji-nii-san again. Her hand trembled on Weaver's arm. She didn't want to die. She was scared. Her HP was also not full. She had been a bit reckless during her time training. A lot of times she hadn't really cared if she died. She would've been revived again. But now... Could she fight with her life on the line? Right now she felt every bit like Dame-Tsuna with no hope to ever be Benihime.

 

“ _There is only one condition you must meet to be free: the completion of the game.”_ Kayaba announced and opened a 3D model of Aincrad's first floor that then changed to the whole castle. _“You are all currently on the first floor, the lowest point in Aincrad. If you conquer a floor's dungeon and defeat the Floor Boos, you may continue up to the next one. Assuming you manage to defeat the final boss on the 100_ _th_ _floor, the game will be considered cleared.”_

 

“Dear” Weaver turned to Washi with hope in her eyes. “How far did you get during the Beta?” Washi sighed as he looked at her and her hopes dropped.

 

“Not as far” Washi grumbled. “We had reached the 10th floor at the end of the Beta. In this case it's nowhere near enough.”

 

“ _And lastly,”_ Kayaba added. _“I've prepared a present for all of you in your item storages. Take a look.”_

 

Frowning Tsuna opened her item menu and scrolled through the items she had gathered through out her training session to find the item he meant. A quick glance at Weaver and Washi's open menus clarified it as _«Handmirror»_ , which Tsuna promptly materialized herself. Blinking back at her was Benihime, with her red hair, amber eyes and beautiful face. Why had he given them-?

 

Players around were covered in light and Tsuna covered her eyes. It lasted only a few seconds and she looked around. The people around her had changed... Less heroic men and less flawless beauties were around. Instead there were ordinary people bickering at each other about the other lying and deceiving them. Does that mean-? She looked back into the mirror in her hands and gasped at the face inside. Honey-blond fluffy hair, rounder face and more European features. She was Dame-Tsuna again.

 

“Benihime?” A voice asked her and she turned to the duo beside her.

 

“Weaver? Washi?” She asked in her childish voice, but already knew that it could only be them. Weaver had now tan skin, wavy blond hair pulled into a high ponytail and dark-blue eyes. She was a bit taller than before and more curvy. Washi no longer had the Hibari-like scowl on his face and was such smaller, but still taller than Weaver, and leaner. His muscles were no longer bulging out. His hair was shorter, too, and had a warm brown color. His eyes were still as sharp, but now possessed a yellow color.

 

“Benihime, you're so... young” Weaver gasped and after exchanging a look with Washi, pulled her between both of them. Players around became more panicked and restless.

 

“ _Right now, you're probably all wondering, 'Why?”_ Kayaba guessed. “ _Why would I, Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do such a thing?' I have already achieved my goal. I created the world of Sword Art Online sorely for ma personal enjoyment. And now, the preparations are complete.”_

 

Kayaba spread his arms out. _“This concludes the tutorial for the official launch of Sword Art Online.”_ He finally declared. _“Players, I wish you the best of luck.”_ The Kayaba's robe loquified again and disappeared together with the red announcement signs in the sky.

 

Silence filled the plaza, no one moved or spoke. Most were still too shocked by his words. Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass along with a scream of “No!” echod across the soundless plaza and spurred the players into motion. They raged and demanded to be let free. Washi grabbed the hands of both Weaver and Tsuna and pulled them through the masses and through alleys away from the plaza.

 

 

~HnS~

 

“A mass panic could end badly.” He explained when they had stopped at the inn near the edge of the town. “It could end badly. Are you okay?” He asked both of them. His voice was now lighter, but still deep and nice.

 

“I'm okay, dear” Weaver's voice was deeper than before and slightly husky. “God, this has to be a nightmare. How could he?”

 

“I'm okay, too” Tsuna muttered and played with the edge of her tunic. Why had he pulled her along? She was just Dame-Tsuna again. She could do nothing and was worth nobody's time.

 

“That's good to hear.” Weaver sighed relieved. “If you don't mind me asking, how old are you, Benihime?”

 

“...” Tsuna didn't really want to answer. The recommended age for SAO was 14 and she should have been too young to play it, but mama and Ranji-nii-san had allowed her anyway. “I'm... twelve.”

 

Washi durned to the blond who raised an eyebrow and both nodded. “Benihime”, Washi began. “We had decided to head to the next town tomorrow and train to level six for the next skill slot. If you want, you could come with us.”

 

“Or you can stay here in the Town of Beginning” Weaver offered. “Here your HP can't lower and you'd be save.”

 

Tsuna looked at them with wide eyes. They didn't immediately send her away. She was always chosen last during PE because no one wanted to have her in their team. She was too slow and to clumsy. But... she realized, she hadn't tripped once in here. She couldn't. It was a game, where she couldn't tip.

 

“Wouldn't I be in the way?” She asked shyly. She didn't want them to die because of her.

 

“Don't worry.” Washi assured her. “I would have the role of a tank here, that means I would be the one to have the enemies attention while you would attack them.”

 

“Then...” Tsuna licked her lips and breathed deeply. Something told her to accept, to go out and fight for her freedom. She wouldn't die before she had seen her mother again. Looking at them with amber-orange eyes she decided. “I want to go with you. I want to be strong.”

 

Both of them smiled and Weaver opened her menu. Seconds later a screen opened before Tsuna.

 

_« **Weaver** send you a Party Invite.»_

 

“That way we can better look out for each other.” Weaver grinned, but her grin changed into a softer nervous smile. “We want to form a guild later too. If you want you can join then, too. You're just so young and... we want to help protect you.” Both of them looked at her and Tsuna smiled brightly. They really wanted her. She wasn't last choice. The was the first! 

 

Still smiling she pressed _«Accept»_ , with a feeling, that her life was about to change for the better.

 

She would be strong, she would fight!

 

And she would win!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [EDIT]: I have exchanged the Guild invite with a Party Invite. I had overlooked, that you can first form a guild on the 3rd Floor.


	3. Fanarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While I'm not yet finished with the new chapter, I did some images for Tsuna, Weaver and Washi, which I want to share with you. 
> 
> You can find more work from me at DeviantArt:  
> https://traumtaenzerin94.deviantart.com/

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> [Benihime - Female Tsuna](https://traumtaenzerin94.deviantart.com/art/Benihime-Female-Tsuna-698427549) by [TraumTaenzerin94](https://traumtaenzerin94.deviantart.com/) on [DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com)  
> [Weaver - Ametsuchi Orihime](https://traumtaenzerin94.deviantart.com/art/Weaver-Ametsuchi-Orihime-698431619) by [TraumTaenzerin94](https://traumtaenzerin94.deviantart.com/) on [DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com)  
> [Washi - Ametsuchi Hideyoshi](https://traumtaenzerin94.deviantart.com/art/Washi-Ametsuchi-Hideyoshi-698433864) by [TraumTaenzerin94](https://traumtaenzerin94.deviantart.com/) on [DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com)


	4. Of Quests and Weapons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally the next chapter! I feel so dead x.X
> 
> Washi, Weaver and Benihime do a few quests to get good gear and level up. 
> 
> Bonus:  
> Hibari!

Shortly after waking up, Washi and Weaver planned out what to do the next days. After breakfast and getting better gear, the best course of action was to travel to the next town and doing as many quests as possible along the way. Washi remembered many of the from the area and planned the rout accordingly. Some of them were a bit far out, but had gear that would be very useful for the next few floors. If they needed money, he purposed doing the _«Secret Medicine of the Forest»_ quest and then sell the rewarded sword to another player, since none of them used the _«One-Handed Sword»_ skill.

 

“Which would you recommend, Washi?” Tsuna asked nervously as she eyed the weapon merchant's wares. She had already been able to sell all her junk from the monsters she had killed the day before for a good amount of col, the currency in SAO. Now she had to decide which spear she should choose. There were three to choose from, one made from iron, one made from black iron and one made from steel, all with different stats.

 

“Let me see.” He said and looked over her shoulder at the weapon specifications and studied them for a minute. “This one-” He pointed to the iron one. “-isn't very good. It's only slightly better than your starting spear. In my opinion, it's not good enough for the price. That one-” This time he gestured to the steel spear. “-is much better. It boosts your strength more than the others, but it's weight also dampens your reaction time which can be too dangerous. The last one would be my recommendation. It does less damage than the last one, but boosts your agility by 1 point without restricting you and is cheap too. Also, remember that we plan on doing a quest with a spear as reward. That one will be useful for the next floors.”

 

While Tsuna nodded and bought the spear made of black iron, Weaver stood at a nearby stall and got the potions they needed. She had already changed into her new leather and cloth gear and had her new dagger strapped to her waist. A long black scarf was wrapped around her neck, giving her the ninja feeling she was after along with a +4 agility boost. It could be used to hide her face, function as a hood, or even both at once. Weaver had bought it from a disheartened player, who got it as a quest reward the day before and wished to remain in the Town of Beginning. He wanted to hear nothing of her offer to add him to their party and help him level a bit.

 

“I think we got everything.” Weaver announced happily after she had looked over their purchases. Most of it was meant to last them until they reached the next town, with enough food and potions in case they encountered trouble.

 

“Then we can set out.” Washi said proudly and adjusted the positions of the shield on his back and the mace on his belt. While the game was called _“SWORD Art Online”_ , there were a variety of different weapons and swords were used by too many of his fellow players. So a mace was different. That it reminded him of the baton he used as a policeman, had something to do with that as well.

 

Tsuna placed one hand on the staff of her spear that was now safely strapped on her back and was thankful that she was in a game, due to it's length. It ended just a few centimeters above the ground, while the tip towered about a head over her. In the real world she would have tripped from the weight on her back or even over her own feet by now. Some moments she could just forget that this was a virtual world, that this was not real. But at the same time, part of her was more than aware of that fact. A part that was screaming _fakefakefake_ over and over in the back of her head, that she nearly got a headache.

 

~HnS~

 

“Which is the first one, dear?” Weaver asked her husband after they had left the Town of Beginning. Over the last hour they had collected all of their planned quests within the town. There were so many that they had to filter which they wanted to do without having to return to the quest giver. All of them were finished once they had finished their objective.

 

“We have to kill ten wolves that attack travelers on the way out of Town of Beginning.” Washi explained as he led them down the road. “There is a hidden part of the quest. If you manage to save the eldest of the travelers, who are being attacked, he will tell you about _«Mist Wolves' Den»_ , the wolves home and a mini dungeon, and ask you to kill the pack alpha. His body is quite strong and you get a weapon drop out of his bones or teeth.”

 

“Is it a random weapon or based on the player to land the last attack?” Weaver asked skeptically. Doing the quest would be pointless, if they got the wrong gear from it. While they could sell it, it was still not good enough. They did those quests to get gear not col.

 

“It's a random drop, but from limited options.” Washi explained. “You can get a dagger, a sword or a mace from it. So the chances are higher to get a weapon we can use than getting the sword.”

 

“You know quite a bit about the quests of this area” Tsuna mentioned. “You are like a walking handbook of quests.”

 

“Well” Washi laughed and scratched at his cheek. “I quested here a lot with other players during the beta. We tried to find as much information on them as possible. While we had to sign a contract for the beta not to post anything online about the quests before the official launch, we wrote things down for ourselves to quest easier. I memorized my notes in the time between the beta and the launch.”

 

“Are you going to share this knowledge with the other players?”Tsuna asked thoughtfully. “If I wasn't partying with you, I would be at a huge dis-disat- I would not have such options and in our situation, information can mean the difference between life and death.”

 

“I know” Washi sighed deeply. “I had never intended to keep anything to myself. I was going to post a quest-guide in my blog and be done with it. Argo – I have told you about the information broker, right? - send me a message yesterday. She arranged different meetings with all beta testers to collect useful information to create a handbook that will be given to all players free of charge. That way everyone will have all information they need.”

 

“That's very nice of her” Tsuna hummed. She couldn't wait to meet Argo, she sounded nice and like fun. “Which other quests are we doing for weapons?”

 

“Two others.” Washi explained, his eyes glued to the open screens in front of him. One was a map along with their position and the other was a note with the quests they had accepted. “During the _«Misty Wolf Pack»_ quest we will make a detour to a hut at the edge of the woods. There we will meet a farmer who will tell us of his son's death and how the tribe of goblins responsible lives in a cave deep in the woods. He will ask us to avenge his son, by killing the goblins. The chieftain will drop a random weapon.”

 

“The other one is located at the halfway point of our route.” He continued. “A sick young woman will tell us that her children are lost in the area. They went out to gather herbs to cure their mother's illness. This quest is similar to the _«Secret Medicine of the Forest»_ quest. We will have to find the children and the herbs and return it to the quest giver. She will give us one of the weapons she has from her late husband.”

 

“Well” Weaver grinned enthusiastically. “If I'm not mistaken, then the wolves over there are our targets, right?” She pointed along the way, to a small group of NPC travelers, who were distinguishable by their lack of weapons. They were using walking sticks and swinging bags to keep the wolves surrounding them away.

 

“Yes, that's them” Washi shouted alarmed and readied his shield and mace. “We need to keep the NPCs alive. If most of them survive for the second part, we will get more EXP.” Tsuna pulled the spear from her back and tried to relax. She could do it, she was Benihime and she would grow strong and return to her mother and Renji-oji-san.

 

Charging forward Benihime readied a sword skill and pierced a wolf that was about to attack a young NPC. The wolf lost half of it's HP and snarled at her, while she cursed the stiffening period after a skill, where she couldn't move for a moment. Kicking it back and off her weapon she used another sword skill and watched as the wolf shattered into pixels.

 

“Good work” Weaver shouted her way, as she danced around a wolf, hacking and slashing at it with her dagger. The sword skills she used delivered multiple hits per skill and her higher agility reduced her stiffening period. “Don't get distracted! Focus on the ones near the travelers!”

 

Another two wolves appeared, snarling and growling and went to attack the NPCs, when Washi used his shield to slam them away before attacking one with his mace. Benihime show forward and attacked the second wolf. Twisting around she found another wolf slightly behind her and gritted her teeth as she took the position for a different sword skill. This one consisted of three fast jabs with her spear, each his with the same amount of damage like the other skill, but with a longer stiffening period.

 

They could finally relax, as Weaver and Washi had killed the last wolves. Only one of the NPCs had died, before they had even seen them and now the rest turned to Washi, Weaver and Benihime gratefully.

 

“ _Many thanks, you saved our lives”_ One of them, and old man, said. _“The wolves have always been a problem on this road, but ever since the Mist Wolf Alpha came into the area, the wolves are wilder than ever before. We can't travel without being attacked.”_ The NPC is silent for a moment before bowing to them. _“Please, gracious adventurers, as you are trained in the use of your weapons, would you aid is? The wolves live in a cave deep in the woods and if you kill the Mist Wolf Alpha, the wolves would scatter and we could safely travel again. Would you do that for us?”_

 

“Of course” Washi assured them with a smile. “You will be able to travel without fear soon.” The NPCs bowed gratefully and gathered their belongings, while a screen popped up before the three players.

 

_«Quest Finished!_

_Reward:_

_Exp 350(+263)_

_Col 300_

_Item 5_

 

_Congratulations!_

_You have started the hidden_

«Misty Wolf Pack» _Quest»_

 

“Nice” Weaver hummed when she saw the additional EXP. “We got quite a bit of bonus experience. That should be about...” She counted the surviving members of the travelers and calculated. “...15% per surviving NPC.”

 

“I got a necklace named _«Wolf Claw»_. Oh, two of them.” Washi noticed humming. ”It gives a +1 agility boost as well as +2 for defense against wolves. Kiko got one of those once. She told me about it during the beta. It's useful for our quest. How high is your agility, Hime?”

 

Benihime blinked. Did he mean her?

 

“Don't worry about me, dear” Weaver answered and proudly adjusted her scarf. “The boost from the scarf is enough for me. I think Benihime could use it more.”

 

“Yeah” Washi answered and opened a trading screen with Benihime to give her the necklace. It looked quite simple and crude. Just a single wolf claw on a thin leather string. There were small scratches on it's surface and there were a few chips missing here and there.

 

“Let's continue!” Weaver beamed with a huge grin and clapped her hands together. “Now we have to start the Goblin quest right?”

 

~HnS~

 

“Say, Weaver” Tsuna said as they traveled through the forest. In the last hour they had traveled to it's edge and had spoken to the farmer living in the small hut. The tale of his son's death was sad and filled with the feeling of mourning. Now they were first looking for the cave the goblins lived in, followed by the _«Mist Wolves Den»_ to get their first two weapons. “Washi called you 'Hime' earlier. I was a bit confused, since it's my name here, too, and... ehm... well, is it just him calling you his princess or...?”

 

“It's both actually” Weaver grinned. “He does like calling me 'his princess' and it's also a shorter version of my name, Orihime.” She laughed. “Do you know the story of Tanabata?”

 

Tsuna nodded. It was one of her favorite holidays. She loved to hang up wishes on trees, playing games with her mother and Renji-oji-san and wearing her yukata. Her mother loved the story behind it even more, saying it was reminding her of her own love. Two lovers separated by a great river, only being able to meet once a year for a single day. When it was a cloudy day, they didn't even have that.

 

“Washi's real name, Hideyoshi, sound's similar to Hikeboshi from the story and I'm named Orihime.” Weaver began to tell. “The first time we met was when we were children at the Tanabata festival in Kyoto. In the following years we only ever met at the festival until he finally asked me out. Since then Tanabata has a special place in out hearts. Our names are also a hint at Orihime, weaving princess, and Hikeboshi, who is depicted as the Aquila, eagle, constellation.”

 

“I hope we're not trapped here too long” Washi called from in front of them. His eyes were glued to his map, just like before. “I don't want to miss our annual Tanabata. Or our wedding anniversary.”

 

“We married on Tanabata” Weaver whispered into Tsuna's ear, causing her to giggle. They really loved that holiday.

 

“The cave should be near here somewhere.” Washi muttered. Passing through a few thick bushes and under low hanging branches they burst into a small clearing. A clearing that ended at a rock wall with a cave.

 

“Is this the goblin cave?” Tsuna asked frowning. “Or the one from the wolves?”

 

“It's from the goblins, I think.” Washi replied and examined the wall. Figures and pictures were scratched into it's surface or painted with different colored mud. “Wolves can't do that. It was used as an identifier.”

 

“One important thing” He began. “There is a certain tactic used by players, when facing strong opponents. It's called “Switch”. A monster can only be attacked by one player at a time. When one player has to rest for a moments, because of their HP for example, they “switch” with a party member that stayed back. Additionally, the monster's AI cannot adjust to the changed fighting style fast enough, so you have a slight advantage.”

 

“Are you ready?” He asked them. “The goblins are stronger than the wolves, so we have to be quiet and fast. We get bonus damage if they are unaware of our attack. The chieftain is even stronger than them.”

 

“Hai”, Weaver and Benihime said as one and readied their weapons. It was better not to enter unprepared.

 

~HnS~

 

The goblin cave consisted of a long and narrow path that lead to a large spacious chamber. Scattered all around were goblins with differing primitive weapons, ranging from axes to swords to clubs. While they only needed three to four sword skills for each goblin, there were too many to simply charge at them. One of the items Weaver had gotten from the wolf quest was one set of _«Iron Throwing Picks»_ , containing ten picks. They had counted eleven goblins, along with the chieftain. It was easy to simply attack one goblin with a pick to lure it into the path, where they waited hidden for their chance to attack it.

 

Their plan worked perfectly. They waited until the goblin was near them and then struck him with sword skills. Once Weaver had been able to land a critical hit. The pick had pierced the goblin's neck and went up into it's brain, destroying it as it was. When they had thrown all picks, they crept forward, sticking to the shadows. The chieftain was located on a higher level than than the rest of the cave and the last goblin stood guard at the ramp upwards.

 

“Once we have slain the last guard we should take potions.” Weaver proposed in a whisper, while eyeing the mentioned goblin. “The boss should be the strongest. I don't like to take risks with something like that.”

 

“Yes” Benihime agreed, while Washi just nodded. The guard-goblin patrolled along the ramp and Washi raised a hand to sign them when to attack. They watched for a moment as the goblin was nearer to the chieftain and then walked into their direction. Just as he was about to stop walking, did Washi sign for them to attack and Weaver, the fastest of the three of them darted forward, a sword skill ready. The goblin was hit several times but raised its weapon, a crudely made ax and swung it after Weaver, but Washi jumped between and blocked it with his shield. Then Benihime twisted to it's back and hit it with her three-hit-sword skill. Its HP reached zero and it burst into pixels.

 

“Nice work!” They each used as many potions as they needed to have full health and sneaked forward, making sure to stay in the shadows to observe the _«Goblin Chieftain»_.

 

“Observation and information are the key to survive” Washi muttered. “You know, the first time I did this quest with a group, we nearly wiped. One of our lower level members thought too much of himself and tried charging one of the goblins. He got aggro from all of them. If you are attacked by all goblins at once, your only ways to survive is a good strategy, running away, or one hell of an experienced tank. Thankfully we had teamed up with a solo player named Kirito. He was obsessed with SAO and knew how to deal with the situation. Two of our party died but the rest managed to fight the goblins and the chieftain. I was... very angry at the one who caused it.”

 

“I think I remember that” Weaver bit her lip and looked to the side. “You were ranting at me about this member and how he was an egoistical... idiot. At that time I couldn't understand why you were so angry. I thought it was just a game. But now I understand it better and I think... the situation was similar to, you know, Toriyama-chan, right?”

 

Washi's face closed off and emotions flashed through his eyes. They were gone faster than Benihime could recognize them, but it was obvious that, whoever this Toriyama-san was, it was a bad topic, one that hurt him deeply. But Washi wasn't the only one hiding his emotions. Weaver was looking to the side, trying to hide the guilt on her face.

 

“Dear, I-” she began, but Washi cut her off.

 

“Don't.” He said harshly, but softened instantly. “Don't, please. Not now.”

 

“I-” She said hesitantly, but nodded. “Alright. I'm sorry.”

 

“Let's just... finish our quests, alright?”

 

The atmosphere was thick and Benihime shifted uncomfortably when they crept forward towards the chieftain. He was bigger than the other goblins and sat on a big throne made of bones, which none of them wanted to examine too closely. His jagged and yellowed teeth were gnawing on a piece of raw meat in his right hand, while his left hand was holding a large club made of stone. It seemed as if he had simply broken off a stalagmite to use it as a weapon.

 

Once again Washi gave a signal to attack. Weaver shot forward, her dagger glowing with a readied sword skill and twisted around to the chieftain's unguarded back. He turned around to attack her, but Benihime had reached him with another sword skill of her own. Washi's mace hit the chieftain on his head while Weaver once again went after his unguarded back. The chieftain shrieked inhumanly and swung his club after Washi, who couldn't move due to his stiffening period. Benihime, who had not yet used her sword skill, slipped behind him, raised her spear horizontally in a guard position and caught the swing. The force of the swing went through her arms and she watched as her HP lowered by a quarter.

 

“Yoshi! Beni!” Weaver called in a mix of panic and relief. When she could move she charged another sword skill, aiming for the chieftain's neck, which did another critical hit, but it left her open for an attack. When the chieftain raised his club again, Washi was able to move and ready to move. He used his shield to push it back and smashed his mace into the chieftain's face. His hit caused the chieftain to stumble back and a small icon appeared above his health bar.

 

“He's confused” Washi laughed. “He cant attack or defend! That's our chance!” The next minutes were a blur of attacking, evading and defending. Once Washi figured out what had caused the confusion status– a specific sword skill to the head, while the chieftain readied his attack – he tried to replicate it.

 

Washi only managed it once the chieftain's HP was very low and Benihime used the opportunity to attack it again, but there was still a tiny bit of HP left. The chieftain recovered from the confusion faster than before and with a shriek like before prepared to attack again. There was just a flash of light and the chieftain burst into pixels, revealing Weaver behind it, her dagger still in the air.

 

“Yes!” Benihime cheered and jumped happily, while Weaver and Washi shared a hug. Grinning mischievously Weaver spared a quick glance in her direction, before pulling Washi's head down for a loving kiss. Benihime turned her back to them and payed attention to the screens that had popped up before them.

 

_«Quest Completed!_

_Dungeon Cleared!_

_Reward:_

_Exp 650(+250)_

_Col 700_

_Item 6»_

 

« _Congratulations!_

_You have reached Level 3!_

_Please distribute your Status Points.»_

 

For a moment Benihime looked over her stats. During her level up the day before she had put one point into strength – STR – and two into agility – AGI. Since her spear focused more on speed than strength, she decided to place her now points the same way.

 

Looking over the rewarded items she hummed happily when she spotted _«Leather Gloves»_ with a +3 boost in agility and equipped them. They fit nicely and would come in handy. The other items were three health potions, a set of _«Iron Throwing Picks»_ and one _«Goblin Bone»_.

 

“What items did you get?” Washi asked as he looked through his items as well. “I got three potions, a ring with +2 in strength and two _«Goblin Bones»_.”

 

“I got those” Benihime grinned and raised her hands to show him the gloves. “They have +3 Agility. Then I have a set of _«Iron Throwing Picks»,_ three potions and one _«Goblin Bone»_. So Weaver must have gotten it.”

 

“Yup” Weaver confirmed with a flushed face. “I got a necklace with +2 agility, three potions as well, one set of _«Iron Throwing Picks»,_ one _«Goblin Bone»_ and -” She grinned. “- a _«Savage Warmace»._ You got lucky, love. Here.” She opened the trading screen and gave Washi the weapon. It was a crude mace made of wood with blades of bone and stone jutting out on one end. While it was not the most beautiful weapon of all the look on Washi's face said enough in it's attack power.

 

“We got a bonus for _“Clearing the Dungeon”_?” Weaver asked curiously.

 

“It's done in several MMOs.” Benihime explained _._ “If you kill every enemie in the dungeon, you get extra EXP.”

 

“That's right.” Washi confirmed. “Here in SAO it's mostly between 20-50% on the EXP gained from the Dungeon Boss. In this case we got 500 EXP from the _«Goblin Chieftain»_ and got lucky that we got 250 EXP, so that's 50%.”

 

“Well” Weaver said and stretched her arms over her head. “That was fun. On to the wolves then?”

 

“Let's go.”

 

~HnS~

 

“Is it a Dungeon, too?” Benihime asked. They had reached the part of the forest where the _«Mist Wolves Den»_ was located and were now overlooking it from a small cliff before it. The den consisted of a multitude of pathways that snaked their way through the ground, forming several hills and valleys. Everything was covered in a thin layer of mist that didn't do much more than blur some shapes instead of hiding them.

 

“No” Washi said. “We don't even need to kill all of the wolves. The alpha is enough. Although...” He looked at both of his party members. “... it might be a good idea for us to still clear the den of wolves. We will need any EXP that we can get.”

 

“There are so many...” Tsuna gulped. “That will take a long time if we want to clear them all out...”

 

“How strong are they, dear?” Weaver implored. “If they are about as strong as the wolves we encountered before, then we could try to split up. We were able to kill the wolves by ourselves.”

 

“ _«Mist Wolves»_ are a bit stronger than normal _«Wolves»_.” Washi warned while he watched the groups of Wolves walk along the paths before them. “Not by much, but enough to be dangerous if you are attacked by multiple ones. I'm not sure if we could risk attacking them on our own.”

 

“We could...” Tsuna bit her lips while she tried to vocalize her idea. She felt that splitting up in a small area with known enemies was a good way to train in case they were separated and had to fend for themselves. “We could... test if we can kill them solo. You know, that one of us attacks a wolf and the others stay back and only enter the fight if they need help. If it works we might be able to split up.”

 

Washi and Weaver shared a look. It was obvious that Weaver was torn between remaining together and splitting up, while Washi looked quite happy with her idea. Weaver raised an eyebrow at her husband, who simply shrugged his shoulders with a smile. After a long sigh Weaver turned to Benihime.

 

“We can try. Splitting up might really save us time” She acknowledged. “But we have to be really careful. We don't want any surprises.” She frowned at the last word and Tsuna tilted her head to the side.

 

“She doesn't like getting surprised.” Washi chuckled quietly so Weaver couldn't hear. “I tried to take her out on a surprise date once before we got married. It didn't end well. She wouldn't speak to me for a week. The only surprise she liked was my proposal.”

 

“Let me guess” Tsuna grinned. “it was on Tanabata?” Her answer was a sly grin.

 

They made their was to one of the hills of the den and selected one of the wolves to attack. It was a bit outside of the others, obviously patrolling. After some debating it was decided that Benihime should try first. Taking a deep breath she charged up her sword skill and charged the _«Mist Wolf»_ before her.

 

Her hit took about half of it's HP and it turned to her snarling. It's jaw closed around her left leg, just as the stiffening period ended. Raising her spear high, she slammed it's tip into the wolf's neck. Her use of a sword skill only registered as the wolf burst into pixels.

 

“Beni, you okay?” Weaver worried as she fretted over the still present tooth marks on her lower leg. Benihime just grinned. She had felt an odd rush when she was attacked. After that she had simply reacted. It reminded her a bit of the times she was chased by some bullies and she had to change directions in a split second.

 

Or like when she came face to face with Hibari-senpai. While she was not yet in Namimori Middle, she knew him or rather of him. Everyone knew the Hibari family. Hibari-senpai's parents Hibari Masahiro, who lead or rather ruled the police force of Tokyo with an iron fist, and Hibari Lifen, who none in Namimori had ever seen in anything but kimonos or elegant Chinese dresses. And of course Hibari-senpai, who was rumored to control all of Namimori and if he did not, then he would soon.

 

“Yes, I'm fine” Benihime answered, still grinning. She was wondering if this was an adrenaline rush. Why didn't she have one of such earlier? Like when they were fighting the other wolves, the goblins or the chieftain? Wasn't there something else? Ah, yes -“Weaver, why did you call me Beni?”

 

“Oh” Weaver flushed. “Did I? I didn't really notice. It's just- well, Benihime is quite a mouthful, so I might have subconsciously shortened it. If it bothers you I can stop.”

 

“No, no” Benihime assured her. “It doesn't bother me. I was just wondering. And -” Her smile softened. “- Beni sounds nice. I'd like it if you call me that. Both of you.” They continued to smile at each other for a few moments, before Washi cleared his throat.

 

“How about we continue, ladies” He offered. “Since it worked with _Beni_ we should try it ourselves and then split up.”

 

“Of course, dear” Weaver smiled. “Do you need a potion, Beni?” Benihime eyed her HP bar and shook her head with a smile.

 

“No, but thank you.” She said. “I take one later. If the wolves are as strong as that one I can go a bit before I need one. I take one when I have less than half HP left.”

 

“Good” Weaver nodded. “But keep a close eye on it.”

 

“I will.”

 

The tests went on without any incident. Washi killed his test wolf with one hit of his warmace and Weaver had to use three skills to take it down, but managed to evade every attack. Since they were confident that they could stay aloive on their own, they split up, even if Weaver and Washi did so a bit reluctantly. Each of them took one part of the den they wanted to clear and carefully made their way through.

 

Benihime panted as she slew her – she didn't know which number – wolf and slumped to the ground. That could have ended bad. She had nearly destroyed a plant that gave her bad feelings. She had dug her feet into the ground, when she saw that her attack would destroy it and pulled the skill up to hit the nearby tree. That had then alerted the three wolves near her of her presence and she had to defend herself. Many of their attacks had hit nothing but air since she had somehow been lucky enough to move into the right direction, but enough had hit her that her HP bar blinked at her with an angry red.

 

Selecting the potions in her menu she rested for a few moments to recover and watched Washi and Weaver's HP bars under hers. Who would have thought that this would end like this? She wondered for a moment what mama and Renji-oji-san were doing right now. Mama would be said, that she was certain of, but Renji-oji-san would take care of her.

 

The planned regrouping place was located in front of the small space where the alpha slept. It was surrounded on three sides by thick trees and a small cliff, so they could only attack from the front. Weaver and Washi were already there when Benihime arrived on their rendezvous point, but it was hard to tell which arm belonged to whom. They were hugging each other so hard and tight that they might as well have been one single being. They obviously did not take the split up well. It was kind of cute.

 

“Eto, shall we continue?” Benihime asked after a few moments. This reminded her of mama and Renji-oji-san. When Renji-oji-san returned to Kyoto, he and mama had long and sweet farewells. Sure, the farewells with her “father” were even sweeter and longer, but too long made it awkward and too sweet could make it disgusting. Let alone the fact, that his visits were very few and far in between.

 

Blushing lightly, they separated and all together made their way to the alpha's area. He was bigger than the other wolves and had different colored fur. While the _«Mist Wolves»_ had a gray pelt, the _«Mist Wolf Alpha»_ was pure white. Several scars covered his face and body and his teeth were long and wickedly sharp.

 

Once again they first watched him, while Washi told them what information he knew about him. Which body part they needed to hit to stun him, where he was vulnerable and from which position he couldn't attack them as fast. Then on his signal Weaver sprinted forward and attacked, followed by Benihime and lastly by Washi. The alpha was much stronger than the _«Mist Wolves»_ had been, but still not as strong as the _«Goblin Chieftain»._

 

This fight was longer than the fight against the chieftain since they just couldn't manage to confuse him or momentarily stun him. There were several instances where one if them had to jump back and take a few potions to recover and then rejoin the fight. While it might have been safer for one to stay back and only engage the enemy when one wanted to switch, they had found out earlier that day that their stiffening periods and attacks matched well and that there was always one that attacked.

 

Finally after several minutes of attacking and recovering, the alpha took a great bite out of Washi's arm who didn't think long, but held the alpha in that position. Weaver and Benihime took that opportunity and used their best sword skills to attack. And the alpha burst into pixels.

 

_«Quest Completed!_

_Reward:_

_Exp 500_

_Col 400_

_Item 4»_

 

Just like before the first thing Benihime did after cheering for their success, was to check her rewarded items. There were once again two potions, from which she used one, one _«Great Wolf Pelt»_ and one bracelet with +3 strength. Beside her she heard Washi and Weaver comment on the gear they had gotten – a pair of + 3 strength gauntlets and a +3 agility ring, respectively – while they also exchanged the weapon they were after, a dagger called _«Misty Fang»_ , which Washi had gotten this time. It was the _«Mist Alpha»_ 's fang with a twisted handle.

 

~HnS~

 

The last weapon quest they had planned was not as difficult as the others, it just took much longer to do. They had to travel a very long way while also fighting monsters. Many monsters. They would catch a glimpse of the children, who would then disappear into a direction again, which caused the way to be so long and mostly through monster infested areas.

 

They finally found the children in a clearing, a small boy and girl of about five years and a girl around eight years old. The younger ones were hidden behind their older sister, who used a branch to defend themselves from monsters in a circle around them. Washi used his warmace to open a way for Benihime and Weaver to enter the circle and slay the monsters easier.

 

The children were very thankful that they were saved and asked them to help them gather the herbs their mother needed. Even if it had not been a part of the quest, as Washi had already told them, they would have done it anyway. Especially considering that the little ones started to tear up at the thought of their mother dying.

 

Washi had already marked the herb's locations that he remembered and had planned the rout they had to take. It was just as long as their trek to find the children. Each time it was a small patch of plants where the eldest girl picked one or two herbs before urging them on again.

 

By the time they had returned to the hut they had to fight enough monsters to each level up again. Some of the monsters they had fought had also been part of a quest they had accepted in the Town of Beginnings, where they simply had to kill a certain amount of a type of monster which gave them even more EXP.

 

Their quest giver was more than happy to have her children back. She thanked them tearfully and bowed deeply, causing her to stumble due to her illness. While she used the herbs they had gathered to make her medicine, she allowed Weaver, Washi and Benihime to look through the weapons her late husband left her. There were two swords, one straight and one curved, a dagger, a hammer and a spears. Benihime eyed the spear with a critical eye, comparing it to her current weapon.

 

The _«Whistling Wind Pike»_ was heavier than her black iron spear, but it was also longer and did more damage. It also gave her a boost of +2 strength and +3 agility, which were very good stats. When she equipped it and took a good look at it, she was awed. The spear towered over her and its surface gleamed in a swirly pattern of silvery and gray steel. The main part of the pole was made out of square metal that twisted in a spiral upwards to a tear-drop-like tip. A small test outside revealed that it was called “Whistling Wind” for a reason.

 

Benihime liked this weapon. It felt good and made her feel strong.

 

With a smile on her face, Benihime joined Weaver and Washi on their way to their next quests and to their destination.

 

 

~HnS-Bonus Chapter~

 

[Trigger Warning: mentioned character deaths; mentioned domestic and child abuse]

 

Kusakabe Tetsuya stood before the door of Hibari Kyôya's office and sighed deeply before he raised his hand to knock. He had sworn his alliance to the boy two years ago, after he had watched him singlehandedly defeat two warring Yakuza Families. His older brother, Kusakabe Shunya, had been a member of one of them, in order to support their family. He was killed when he refused to murder innocent people. His body had been found in pieces six months after his death.

 

It was the reason he had been able to witness Hibari's fight with both Families. He had wished to avenge his brother, but instead he got to witness their shame and defeat, while also finding someone he could follow.

 

“Enter” Hibari's voice was sharp and to the point, much like the boy himself. Tetsuya opened the door and bowed deeply before his leader.

 

“We have grave news, Hibari-san.” He explained without beating around the bush. Hibari had little patience and bit anyone to death that went on and on with meaningless talking. “Yesterday was the official launch of the VRMMORPG Sword Art Online on 13:00 JST. Shortly after that, news started to spread that people were trapped inside the game with no means to escape. The hardware used for the game, a helmet like device called NerveGear, generates microwave energy and can lead it directly into the player's brain, effectively killing them. Over 200 players died within the first hours.”

 

Tetsuya hesitated.

 

“There are seven people here in Namimori who were trapped in the game” He continued and handed his boss files on those people. “Two of them, Taguchi Tohaku, age 18, and Konoe Fukuko, age 28, are among the deceased. The other five, Ninomiya Nao, age 17, Watoga Shinji, age 19, Irie Souichi, age 12, Takudo Shinsaku, age 20, and Sawada Tsunayoshi, age 12, are still located in their homes, but will be relocated to the hospital soon, since it is unknown when they will escape the game by “clearing” it. It means, they have to win the game to escape.”

 

Hibari read through the files, concentrating on the deceased first.

 

“Have Koyanagi contact the families of Konoe and Taguchi.” Hibari ordered. “Tell him to ensure that they are treated with the utmost respect. Send them an anonymous donation to cover the funeral costs from the Yakuza money we confiscated last month.”

 

“Konoe has two children, nine and seven years old.” Hibari noticed. “Who is their guardian now?”

 

“Their maternal grandparents, living south of Namimori just out of the town” Tetsuya answered. He had anticipated this question. “Their father is forbidden any form of contact via restraining order and court sentence. He is currently serving time in prison for... domestic abuse against his wife and child molestation.”

 

“He touched them?” He asked with narrowing eyes and growled at Tetsuya's grim nod. “Have some of our man patrol the area around the grandparent's house. In case the _amoeba_ decides to flee now that the mother is dead.” Tetsuya made a note on his clipboard. “If we have a contact in the prison have him keep an eye on the _amoeba_.”

 

“Summarize the situations for the living players.” Hibari ordered and Tetsuya lifted a few of his papers. He had taken notes about all players while he read through their files.

 

“Ninomiya Nao, age 17, student of Namimori High, good academics, while also quite popular. Second of three children, her parents work often, so she had been in her elder brother's care often, same with her younger sister.”

 

“Watoga Shinji, age 19, had taken a year off to deal with an injury after a car accident, studies to enter Medical School in Tokyo, living with his grandmother and four younger siblings. Their financial situation is shaky at best, his late father left them with a large dept, which Watoga helped his mother repay. They were hit by a truck on their way home, which cost his mother's life. He ended up with a spine injury and it was considered a miracle that he retained his ability to walk.”

 

“Irie Souichi, age 12, student of Namimori Elementary, aspiring to enter Yumei Private Middle School. He has good grades in all of his classes and has a big social circle. Lives with both parents and one older sister. Both parents work well paid jobs, the father full-time and the mother part-time, so there is no need for them to worry about money.”

 

“Takudo Shinsaku, age 20, graduated from Namimori Vocational School last spring and has been learning in his father's trade in the family business Takudo Tailoring after that. Two uncles in the same buisness and one younger brother in Namimori High. The mother works in Namimori Hospital as a nurse and has already volunteered to care for the SAO victims, despite the vacation time she had taken three days ago.”

 

“Sawada Tsunayoshi, age 12, student of Namimori Elementary. Known to her classmates as “Dame-Tsuna”, has horrible grades, no friends, is terribly clumsy and constantly bullied. Used to be a very bright and active child but had a sudden strange decline in abilities at age 5. Lives with her mother, a housewife, her father's work and whereabouts are unknown. They survive on a large sum of money that is send to them monthly. A frequent visitor is Watanabe Renji, who is speculated by neighbors to be Tsunayoshi's father. Further research revealed Watanabe to be a childhood friend of the mother and to be biologically female. One of our contacts in the underworld thought the name Sawada sounded familiar, but couldn't immediately place it. He is currently looking into it.“

 

Hibari nodded and flipped through some of the files, mostly skimming the information and payed close attention to Sawada. Tetsuya understood that. If her father was unknown and her family name sounded familiar in the underworld, then it could lead to danger. But there was also a chance that Sawada was a spy.

 

“Have our men keep eyes on the families of each of them.” Hibari ordered. “Ninomiya, Irie and Takudo won't need more than that. Send an anonymous donation to the family of Watoga to cover the rest of the dept and to pay for the hospital along with monthly anonymous sums to help them survive until the game is “cleared”. Have some of our men monitor Sawada's correspondence. If necessary that of Watanabe as well. If there are any information on Sawada's father have our contact look into it and then inform me immediately.”

 

“Of course” Tetsuya nodded and made notes.

 

“Dismissed.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end was a bit rushed, but I regret nothing!
> 
> I played a bit around with Kusakabe and Hibari. How they met and how they treat each other. Here Kusakabe is not as close to Hibari as he is in the series. 
> 
> CHARACTER INFO(at the end):  
> Benihime  
> Lvl: 4  
> STR: 4 (+5)  
> AGI: 5 (+7)  
> Skills: «One-Handed Assault Spear»; «Blade Throwing»  
> Gear: black iron spear (+1 AGI) now «Whispering Wind Pike» (Spear; +2 STR, +3 AGI); «Wolf Claw» (Necklace; +1 AGI; +2 DEF against Wolves); «Leather Gloves» (+3 AGI); bracelet (+3 STR)
> 
> Weaver  
> Lvl: 4  
> STR: 2 (+1)  
> AGI: 7 (+10)  
> Skills: «One-Handed Dagger»; «Blade Throwing»  
> Gear: long black scarf (+4 AGI); Necklace (+2 AGI); «Misty Fang» (+4 AGI; +1 STR)
> 
> Washi  
> Lvl: 5  
> STR: 8 (+7)  
> AGI: 4 (+1)  
> Skills: «One-Handed Mace»; «Shield»  
> Gear: «Savage Warmace» (Mace; +5 STR); «Wolf Claw» (Necklace; +1 AGI; +2 DEF against Wolves); ring (+2 STR)


	5. AN: I'm still Alive!!

I'm still alive!!

 

I'm really sorry for not having updated in so long. So much stuff happened after another. I had several deadlines, started to work at a new place, packing to move to a different flat (which I did about two weeks ago  °˖✧◝(≧∇≦)◜✧˖° ) and unpacking everything again.

 

Now I have the time and peace to write on the story again. I've already started on the next chapter and hope to finish the chapter in two to three weeks (Yes, I'm slow).

 

**I really wanted to say Thank You to all of you! You've been so patient with me, while I was gone and I appreciate it very much. d=(´▽｀)=b**

 

**Please check out the poll currently open on my profile on FF.net (same Username).** It’s about Dino and if I should add him. I’m a bit torn about that. On one hand I’d really like it to happen, but I’m not sure how I’ll explain it with Reborn and his take on Tsuna’s status as a survivor. 

 

Also, I’m unsure about the pairings (Which will happen later). On one hand this storey originated from the idea of a Kirito/Tsuna. But I’m not sure if I should keep to that and how to incorporate it in the ALO arc. Or if I should have other pairings. 

 

**Which pairings would you like to see?**

 

And Lastly, a small hint to part of the next chapter:  _ We will see a certain red-head. _

 

(￣▽￣)ノ


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